1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a job processing technique for restricting the function of an image processing apparatus when the image processing apparatus executes a job in accordance with a user instruction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Owing to a growing number of management items in management of recent printing apparatuses, a growing number of printing apparatuses to be managed, and the like, it is required to reduce the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) by a person in charge of management of the printing apparatus. At the same time, it is also required to reduce the running cost of the printing apparatus by restricting the time period during which the printing apparatus is available.
Conventionally when controlling permission/inhibition of the use of a printing apparatus in a printing apparatus management system, the use of the printing apparatus is restricted for each user of the printing apparatus or a group to which the user belongs. Alternatively, the number of print sheets is restricted.
There is disclosed a technique for controlling permission/inhibition of the use of a printing apparatus by using the ID card of a user, and time period information which defines a time period during which the printing apparatus is available for a department to which the user belongs (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-357215). According to this technique, by referring to department information of an ID card inserted by a user of the printing apparatus, it is determined whether the time period during which the printing apparatus is available in the department has come, or the number of print sheets has reached the upper limit. Based on the determination result, whether to permit/inhibit the use of the printing apparatus is controlled.
However, the following problems arise in a management method for the conventional printing apparatus management system.
When permission/inhibition conditions for the use of a printing apparatus do not include the time period condition, any user permitted to print can print regardless of the time. Permission/inhibition of use cannot be controlled based on the time period.
Even when the time period condition is introduced into permission/inhibition control for the use of a printing apparatus, it is difficult to control a time-designated job in which the time when printing is designated and that when printing is executed are different.
If permission/inhibition of use of all functions of recent multifunctional printing apparatuses are controlled uniformly depending on the time period, even functions which should be originally available all day long are inhibited depending on the time period, failing fine control.
The present invention has been made to overcome the above-described problems one by one or at once, and has as its object to provide a mechanism of finely, flexibly restricting execution of a job using the functions of an image processing apparatus.